April Hillcrest HS Newsletter

Hillcrest H S  Newsletter Good News Folks we are moving along with the September 2016 Reunion and plans are being put in place. We have had to make some changes so let me lay it out now. The Reunion is really celebrating the Class of 66 which is having  its 50th Reunion. Of course to make this reunion even greater, we are inviting the classes of '60 through '69 to our party. We have had great contact with the 60-66 folks, but are having some difficulties with the 67-69 folks. But we will find them!! So Now What Some of the '66 folks are coming in on Sept 24th as they are trying to fill up all the seats at Lilfred's Restaurant in Rembert for dinner, drinks and great music. Really, only the class of 66 is invited to this! On the 25th there will be registration and partying all afternoon at the Comfort Suites. This will be a blast and a great walk down memory lane. Drinking, eating, laughing, hugging and many stories a little weather worn by being told so many times! That evening, beginning at 7 pm we will go to Shaw AFB to the Carolina Skies Club that used to be the old Officers Club. Now it is shared by officers and enlisted folks.  We had to move from the reserved American Legion Building because they needed it for the County Fair. This  party will last until about 11:30. We realize that most everyone will be over 65 so we will not be able to stay up too late.  I am sure many will still be around the pool talking much of the night! ( I am still looking for another place we can party. The Shaw AFB wants to have Social Security numbers from each person at least 7-10 days before the reunion to do background checks. Many folks do not want to share SS numbers, although the folks at the base have given me an email address that is secure to send to.) The next morning, some are playing golf in Stateburg at the Beech Creek Plantation. Several tours are being set up for others around town and perhaps Shaw AFB ( changed a ton in 50+ years). In the afternoon, several classes are having gatherings at homes of classmates, Swan Lake picnic areas or other locations. These are all being planned now. That evening, dinner is on your own and there are now tons of places to eat in Sumter. When you register, the Sumter Convention Center will be sending you some local brochures. That evening, for those left, we will be having a big street dance between the two Reunion hotels! The next morning at 8:30 folks who are going to the Bahama Cruise, will board the bus for Charleston. We are going early so we can do a little sight seeing around Charleston before boarding. The cruise does not leave Charleston until 4 pm. We will stop twice in the Bahamas of overnight stays and return to Charleston on Sunday October 2. Then our bus will pick us up and return to Columbia near noon.   Those who are not going on the cruise, can go home, head to the coast for some more fun or spend some time in Dalzell, Horatio, Stateburg or wherever! You will be getting another letter this week about registering for the Reunion festivities!  News and Happenings This past week I went to the new Hillcrest Middle School and saw some major changes they have done to our old High School. The parking lot that was in front of the gym, is now the cafeteria below. The old cafeteria was made into chorus rooms. I remember that the chorus folks had to go out next to the buses. I always thought they sent the chorus out there so no one could hear them! Another thing that has really changed the look of the school is the new entrance. Before there was a front door that only the administration used and some visitors. Now they have built a very large office area that also includes the guidance counselors and assistant principals. As you can see in this photo the entrance to the school is very large and inviting. I did a little walking around the school and went down to the gym. Amazing the school when we were there was a single A school that was 1st grade through 12th grade. Now it is a middle school that is as large as a 4A school. Yet the gymnasium is still the same size that many of us played basketball in, did our PE and many of us had our Proms in there. It is the same size that the National Basketball Association's leader in three point shooting, All American Ray Allen of Hillcrest played in. The gym is the same size!! We will publish more photos of the school in future Newsletter editions. If you have not seen the football stadium, next issue will be stunning! Next month I am going to take a video and put it on YouTube of the trip from Hillcrest to Shaw. Now this has changed so much. I will record it from my car and narrate some of the changes. The growth of the trees is amazing. I guess in 50+years we can expect some changes.  OBITS I got a message from Mike Nakoff that his wife  Juanalda Crumbliss died in October 2015. She was in the Class of '60 Billy Doby of the Class of '65 died just a couple of months ago in Sumter. I also learned that John Ryan of the Class of '66 died in 2014 while living in South Dakota. Cruise Several folks have signed up for the Cruise. I will ask them  before next May edition if I can publish their names. Several classmates have been to the Bahamas in the past and love it. Many have never gone on a cruise ( the editor has not).Several have told me that they have cruised before and were sick the whole time. Folks... with today's medicines, no one will get sick. PLEASE put down your deposits now and reserve a place while the prices are still good. Go to our website at Hillcrest60sReunion.com and sign up. If you have any questions, contact our Cruise Coordinator, John McTamney of the class of '66 at   mac0927@gmail.com   He is waiting for your email. He has all the answers. He has been on several cruises and loves them. The Carnival line has informed us that we are going to Nassau and Half Moon Bay in the Bahamas. The Half Moon Bay has been added. Please Google Half Moon Bay in the Bahamas and see that it is a great place to spend with a super beach. Interviews This month we are only doing two interviews. One is from the early part of the 60s and one is from the Class of 66, the Class celebrating its 50th. The first is with Margaret Shivers Ridlehoover. Class of '65. Margaret now lives in Columbia and has become my partner going to hospitals and funerals of classmates. So if you are going to die within 60 miles of Columbia, Margaret and I will be there! Since my days at Hillcrest..... After finishing Lander College I taught school for about 4 years ... After becoming a mom that became my career of choice! I did spent much time volunteering in schools, substituting, & teaching Sunday School for years & being involved in children's activities. While at Lander I met my dear husband, Larry Ridlehoover, and we have been blessed to live in some great areas of the Carolinas. We have followed his path in many phases of real estate development from Beech Mountain, Hilton Head, Seabrook Island, DeBordieu Colony, to our last 15 years in Lake Carolina in NE Columbia. These days we enjoy retreating to our get away near Waynesville, NC, as often as we can... The peace of the mountains calls us! Anytime we can spend with our son & daughter & their families is always good of course! Our 5 precious Grand Children are a constant source of joy.... Life has almost come full circle since moving back to this area... My fond memories of Hillcrest have been renewed~ We were all so fortunate to be in that small, unique environment. Mr. Merritt and our teachers were devoted to us. Our parents had high expectations of us. I feel the combination of military families and the "local" families was a neat experience. I continue to cherish the lifelong friendships created there. I thank my God for my every remembrance of you!!!   The next interview is with Don Roberts of the Class of 66, the Class that is celebrating its 50th this year.  Don moved to Shaw his sophomore year from Japan!   What are you doing now and what has been your primary work since you left Hillcrest?   I am retired from United Airlines. After graduation from HHS I went to Wofford College for two years before transferring to the University of South Carolina. Chris Shekitka and I roomed together our freshman year. I was premed all the way through college but got cold feet about medicine at about the same time I was feeling heat about being drafted. My solution… Join Air Force ROTC and become a pilot. It worked out great for me. I flew fighters for 21 years with the Air Force and then the Alabama Air National Guard. I became an airline pilot in 1978 and retired in 2013 after 35 years. My last 13 years I flew international flights on the B-777. I had a grand time. I have been to many, many great places and done wonderful things. I have no regrets about my career. People ask if I mess work/flying. I still travel a good bit, most recently to a beer festival in Brugges, Belgium.    What are you doing now and what has been your primary work since you left Hillcrest?   I am retired from United Airlines. After graduation from HHS I went to Wofford College for two years before transferring to the University of South Carolina. Kris Shekitka and I roomed together our freshman year. I was premed all the way through college but got cold feet about medicine at about the same time I was feeling heat about being drafted. My solution… Join Air Force ROTC and become a pilot. It worked out great for me. I flew fighters for 21 years with the Air Force so I do Work? Have you noticed that there are people trying to kill innocent people in Paris and Brussels, two of my favorite layover cities?     What am I doing now? After the loss of my wife Mary Lyne after 45 years of marriage, I am learning to live as a bachelor. It is not easy but it is getting easier.  I try to keep busy (see the next question). Taking care of the house and property, a dog and cat, etc is much more time work than I could have imagined. It keeps me connected so I don’t mind it all. I am trying hard not to kill her beloved houseplants. I am glad to see signs of spring.  What have been your interests or hobbies the last several years?    I have been playing golf for the last 35-40 years try to play once or twice a week. I can’t run due to knee issues but I stay active by walking about 6 miles a day. My big hobby is flying. Brother Tom (class of 65) and I built two experimental aircraft. They have about 20,000 rivets each and you drive them one at a time. It took us eleven years to complete both of them. Essentially he has one in Columbia and I have one in Peachtree City. I try to fly 2-3 times, usually flying formation with my flying buddies. I cannot tell you how much fun we have. Have you ever been upside down in an airplane?  Beside Sumter County, where else have you lived since Hillcrest.    Let’s see. One year in Lubbock, Texas learning to fly. Six months at Shaw AFB learning to fly the RF-4C (we had a single unit three bedroom house on base). Fours years in England at RAF Alconbury, about 70 miles north of London. Nine years in Montgomery, AL with Alabama ANG/UAL. And lastly, we have lived here in Peachtree City for over 30 years. Now what are some of your favorite memories of your time at Hillcrest?   I hated two a day football practices. I hated running wind sprints. I loved playing football and basketball. I loved hugging cheerleaders. I loved our weekends going to Big Jim’s and the drive-in. Bob Noe, John MacTamney, George Woodsby. We had fun.  I should tell you about the time MacTamney hit a cow on 441 in his dad’s Cadillac on a foggy night. Bob and I were passengers. It was surreal.  Looking back it was about girls and sports for me.   Connections Facebook page        https://www.facebook.com/Hillcrest60sReunion/ Blog  ( old Newsletters)  http://hillcrest60sreunion.blogspot.com/ Reunion Website   http://Hillcrest60sReunion.com ### April 2016 Hillcrest Newsletter bob.noe@Hillcrest60sReunions.com   t g